About linen

About linen

So you’re interested in learning about linen? What is it exactly, where does it come from, how is it
made, and why is everyone and their mother going crazy about it. Good, we’re here to answer all
those questions. Having fallen in love with linen ourselves, we’ve done yards of research into this
amazing fabric and its magical properties, hence our name.

So let’s start with the basics…

What is linen and where does it come from?

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. It has been used for
centuries — since approximately 10,000 years ago — to make everything from canvases and wallpaper to
clothing and bedding. Egyptians utilized linen’s durability for wrapping pharaoh mummies and
Medieval
knights donned linen shirts and pants under their armor.

Over the years, people started using the word “linens” to refer to household goods, such as bedding,
tablecloths, towels, etc. albeit not always made of actual linen
fabric. Terms like “lingerie” were
derived from the same word.

Benefits of linen

If you’ve already had some sort of encounter with linen in your life, you might be familiar with its
main properties, but for those who are new to linen, here are the main reasons behind its
popularity:

Linen is highly absorbent

The flax fiber, from which linen is made, is hollow
and absorbs moisture well — to be precise, it can absorb up to 20% of its own weight in
water before starting to feel damp. This is an important characteristic for towels, bath
linens, bedding, and clothing as well.

Linen is breathable

Besides absorbing moisture well, linen is able to
release it fast. The flax plant is hollow allowing for higher air permeability, thus linen
fabric dries out quickly and doesn’t stick to the body. Linen is also a natural insulator
meaning it keeps you cool in the summer and retains heat from your body in the colder
months.

Linen is hypoallergenic

Linen has many health properties — some claim it heals
wounds faster and helps cure some skin diseases, such as eczema. But most importantly, linen
is hypoallergenic and is perfect for those who have a sensitive skin or suffer from
allergies.

How linen is made

As mentioned before, linen comes from the fibers of the flax plant. It was one of the first plants
domesticated by humans and has lasted well into the 21st century due to its unmatched natural
properties.

Cultivated primarily in cooler climates all over the world – from Western Europe to India and
Pakistan – flax plant has a growing cycle of only 100 days. However, the journey from the humble
flax seed to woven linen fabric is a laborious and complicated process, which explains why linen is
considered a luxury item and comes at a higher price point than cotton and other textiles.

Linen is typically sowed in March and harvested in July. During that time, the flax plant goes
through a magical transformation with its peak – the ephemeral bloom when the whole field gets
colored in sky blue blossoms for one day only.

Once the bloom is over, the flax plant is harvested but unlike most other crops, it cannot be mowed –
flax has to be pulled up by the roots to maximize the length of the fibers and preserve the full
potential of the plant, which will later be used to make a variety of different products.

Harvested flax then goes through a process called retting, which means exposing it to moisture in order
to separate the fiber from the stem. The flax plant is soaked in water until existing bacteria breaks
down the pectin holding the fibers together – this is a risky business because under-retting burdens the
separation of the fiber while over-retting weakens it.

After retting, the plant goes through another process called scutching that separates the woody stem
called shive from the raw material – the flax fibers: short coarse fibers are called tow and are used to
make paper, twine, and rope, while the longer flax fibers called line are used to create linen yarn that
goes into clothing, bedding, and other high-quality textile products. Next steps are spinning the linen
fiber and weaving linen yarns into yards of fabric, which can then be bleached and/or dyed.

Our own linen is also stone washed for maximum softness. What is stone washing, you ask? It’s all in the
name – the stone washing technique takes stones, usually pumice or volcanic rock, puts them in
industrial washing machines together with the linen fabric and washes it for a couple of cycles until
the fabric gets a nice lived-in, supple feel. Recently, however, enzyme wash is becoming more popular –
it gives off the same effect but without the use of actual stones.

Linen then and now

In its 10,000-year history, the production of linen has changed quite a bit. All the processes that used to be done by hand are now more or less automated. What else is that linen – once exclusive to royalty – can now be found in hotels, restaurants, and many homes especially across Europe where linen growing traditions date back centuries.

In Lithuania, linen has deep roots in our folklore and mythology. Numerous songs and tales mention blue flax fields, and it is part of tradition to pass linen items down in a family as an heirloom. However, modern linen looks and feels much different than its predecessor.

Here at MagicLinen, we aim to create things that borrow from the rich history of linen and fit into our contemporary lives. Our linen bedding, linen clothing, kitchen and bath linens are designed with a modern consumer in mind and thus come in a wide range of styles, colors, and sizes. Find the magic of linen here.